Latest news June 12, 2006 Heat wave?! In Sweden ?! Picture: The Dutch team coach clearly arrived in Sweden with 2 hats/caps.....??? 9.15 Briefing at 12 and they "whisper " here softly that we might be in a HEAT WAVE. In Sweden ??? Yes in Sweden !!! Very unusual , they say here, to have 5 days [we had 25, 26, 27 till now] in a row of 25 dgr.plus. But we seem in the middle of it. Will see at briefing what the metereologist says about this whispered story! Only 2 more days and IT IS a HEAT WAVE then! Today we will get another 25 plus! I can feel that already now. Blue skies and some very high cirrus at this moment , nearly no wind. Which seems to be a good sign.
After 5 days of flying we have had all kinds of weather. Pilots used bug wipers in the practise week to get rid of the snow on their wings! Then we managed to see finishing gliders after rain and hail ON track and to the left and right of it! We got sunny conditions with clouds and without; blue thermals. And now it is just HOT! With sometimes cold winds from the lakes around us; seabreeze effects. By now they should be warmed up too. Also unusual wave had its influence on the flying.Very interesting and not boring.The locals were right; It is defenitely better flying weather here with a cold airmass. But ...we still fly and nearly every day.
Tonight, IGC vice president and jury member, Roland Stuck will give a presentation at 20.00 in the briefing room about "THE GRAND PRIX" concept. He will also show video's from the G.P. in ST. Auban and in Omara in NZ .I saw the last one already and I think I never saw a better gliding video till now, then this one! Awesome!! So for all friends here:join in tonight and see it with your own eyes!
10.30 Gridding is in full swing. Open class started at 10.00. 18 m. is up front today. Grid will close at 12.00. Runway 23 is in use.
11.20 Tasks "HOT";
18 m. pol. with 3 points;260.4 km.
15 m. pol.with 3 points;236.7 km.
st. class pol. with 3 points 229.7 km.
open class pol. with 3 points 254.7 km
Look at task and result site to SEE the tasks and the turn points.
First possible launch at 13.00.
I just caught up with the 2 weather legends Bernt here in Sweden and Herman Trimmel from Austria[meteorologist during world comps in Wiener Neustadt] and it is defenitely a heat wave. Tomorrow will be the last hot day , we have 5 in a row then and we might see another weather type, we have not seen yet. Wait and see!
Off to briefing now for the latest on tasks, weather and logistics.
12.20 Briefing is over! What's new!
To cool off, the pilots saw, while waiting for the briefing, a slide show from Robert, flying with his kids in Norway from a FROOZEN lake. Glad I am here and now!
---Competion day 6 will be the hottest day for the year till now; 29 dgr. They had yesterday 32 in the Borlange area.
---VPos trackers in 18 m. class today
---3 camera crews from TV are covering the comps. GREAT!
---Combined Dutch and German party tomorrow night in briefing hangar at 8 pm.
---On wednesday evening the Argentinian team will show a video about....gliding.
---The Italian gliding team said thank you to Mario and co for their help over night after the ground loop from 3AB, 2 days ago.
Weather As said this will be a hot day and the last one, as on wednesday we expect later during the day a cold front with possible thunderstorms and yes we have not had them yet, so we might be able to add them to the summary of weather events here during the comps.
Early we had nearly no cirrus, but it is getting worse at the moment, with high and medium clouds coming in from the NW.
At 13.00 we expect thermals up to 800 m. and at 16.00 up to 1200 m. locally and 1600 in the Competition area.
Wind is weak from the SW 10 to 20 km/h.We might feel a lake/seabreaze effect again and in the NW [Borlange area] pilots might even find a possible thunderstorm today.
Sniffer will fly out to see what the best time is for the first launch from 18 m. Robert just came in , with in his hands his thermal -hat which is not washed for 20 years[it still looks clean I must say!] and in front of us he PUT IT ON HIS HEAD for the first time during this competition! Let's see if this activates the thermals!!!It should work and you can't do more, as a very dedicated director or "big boss", as is written on his name tag, then try whatever is possible.
12.50I hear engines but still see tugs in front of me!! Will go out and see what happens and tell you in the next article. Ritz
